Platen mechanism for printing machines



y 1966 K. G. HUNTLEY ETAL 3,

PLATEN MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 28, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 o i zo U WW WU V 25 59 29 28 2 21mm am X7 7% TM ,JQW/ ya M ffm y 1956 K. G. HUNTLEY ETAL 3,260,199

PLATEN MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 28, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 12, 1966 K. e. HUNTLEY ETAL 3,260,199

PLATEN MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 28, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG.5

FIG.6

United States Patent 3,260,199 PLATEN MECK-IANHSM FUR PRINTING MACHINES Keith Gordon Huntley, Fairfax County, Va., and Sydney Roland Stagg, Bristol County, Mass, assignors to Farrington Business Machines Corporation, Springfield, Va., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Aug. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 392,749 7 Claims. (til. 101269) The present invention relates to a printing device and, more particularly, to an improved printing device for recording data on sales slip documents or the like by means of typographical plates of a kind suitable for use as identification tokens and adapted to be carried by individual customers.

In printing devices of the type disclosed above, it is well known that in order to obtain a uniform and clear imprint the platen roller should be brought into engagement with a printing plate and sales slip document in only a single unidirectional rolling pass, to avoid superfluous overprinting occurring during a return stroke of the platen roller. It is the general purpose of this invention to provide a printing device that contemplates a simply constructed yet efficient mechanism for lowering the platen roller of a printing device for an imprint function as it traverses the printing area in a first direction, and for raising the platen roller of a printing device for a return function as it traverses the printing area in a second direction.

Objects of the invention are to provide an improved printing device which produces clean cut and uniform printing, which operates conveniently and with little eifort, which is simple and economical in construction, which permits the platen roller to be respectively automatically lowered into engagement with and raised out of engagement from a printing plate and sales slip document d'uring'one complete cycle traveled by the platen roller, for avoiding superfluous overprinting.

Other objects, advantages, and capabilities of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

- In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a plan view of a printing machine. FIGURE 2 illustrates a side elevation of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale, with a partial cut-away, of the printing device disclosing an embodiment of the invention, the view being taken on the line 33 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the head assembly.

FIGURES '5 and 6 are fragmentary detail views showing certain positions taken by the elements of the head assembly as the printing device is operated.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIGURES 1 through 3 a printing machine comprising a base 21 upon which is mounted by suitable fastening means an anvil 22 disposed to receive an embossed customer identification token P. There is also provided an anvil 23 for afiixing thereto such information as the station or users address, assigned number for recording purposes, etc. The uppermost surfaces of anvils 22 and 23 together define the plane of a printing bed PB, anvil 22 being employed to support a printing plate P and both anvils together supporting a document D upon which an imprint is to be made. The printing plate P may be of the construction shown in Patents 2,620,729 or 3,034,430, being formed with raised characters. To one side of anvil 23 there is located a ice variable numbering wheel 24 for recording of additional information such as the date of a transaction.

At each end of the base 21, respective end walls 19 and 20 are fixedly attached by conventional fastening means, to prevent the movement of carriage 38 externally of the printing machine. A covering 25 overlies a rim of the top of base 21, extending the length of the printing machine, having on one edge thereof an extension 26 overlapping base 21, and integral with the other edge of covering 25 is a vertical wall 27. Interrupting the mid-portion of vertical wall 27 adjacent anvil 22, is a guide assembly 28 being adjustable on the covering 25 by way of a slot and screw combination 29, for properly positioning three sides of the printing plate P, the fourth side of printing plate P being located by a pair of yieldable biased members 31. A rectangular body member 32 extends lengthwise over the remaining rim on the top of base 21, having a cut-away portion forming a vertical wall 33 parallel to vertical wall 27 which vertical walls 27 and 33 are employed for properly positioning the document D upon which an imprint is to be made.

Each side of base 21 is channeled to form respective parallel paths 34 and 35 for guiding mutual bearings 36 and 37, which bearings support a carriage 38. The carriage 38 is comprised of a pair of shoulders 39 and 41, a handle 42 and a head assembly 43 adapted to be rocked about shaft 44, which shaft is rotatably mounted within the shoulders 39 and 41. The head assembly 43 consists of a U shaped bracket 45 adapted to readily receive through its arms 47 and 48 a shaft 46 supporting a rotatable platen roller 49, whereby the platen roller is either of the inked or dry type. The shaft 46 is rotatably secured to the arms 47 and 48 by way of retaining clips 50. The platen rollers 49 are expediently positioned on the shaft 46 by cylindrical spacers 51 abutting the end faces of the platen roller and the arms 47 and 48 of U shaped bracket 45. On the respective ends of shaft 46, between the arms of the U-shaped bracket 45 and carriage shoulders 39 and 41, are a pair of cap members, 52 and 53, each respectively biased by lightweight springs 54 and 55 positioned within shaft 46, to be urged flush with the surface of the inside extension pieces integral with mutual shoulders 39 and 41 for reasons which will hereinafter become apparent to the reader.

Lengthwise of the U-shaped bracket 45 is an elastic membercomprising, in the preferred embodiment, of a torsion spring 56 one end of which is fixedly wrapped about the arm 48 as is more clearly illustrated in FIG- URE 4. The other end of the torsion spring 56 freely protrudes through the arm 47 and is then bent at approximately a ninety degree angle to form a leg 57 extending downwardly towards the top of base 21 adapted for contacting each of a pair of tripping members 58 and 59 situated in the path travelled by the leg 57 as the carriage is moved across the base of the printing machine. Since the leg 57 is located at the free end of the torsion spring, the amount of twist applied to the leg 57, when tripped by either member 58 or 59, will be distributed over the length of the torsion spring providing a small angular displacement of twist per unit length of spring. Thus,

the amount of twist is also distributed over the length of the head assembly to be rocked by the spring since the assembly is coextensive in length with the tension spring. In view of the latter it is apparent that utilization of the torsion spring in the manner shown provides a strong and endurable device for rocking the head assembly.

The operation of the present invention may best be illustrated by first referring to FIGURE 5, wherein a sectional view of the carriage 38 is disclosed in its start position as shown in FIGURE 1. In FIGURE 5 the head assembly 43 comprising the U-sh-aped bracket 45 is shown rocked about shaft 44 in the furthermost clockwise direction, to the extent that the arms 47 and 48 have come into contact with the front of the carriage 38, thereby having displaced the lower periphery of platen roller 49 from an adjacent position relative to the plane of the printing bed PB. It is observed that the bracket 45 is held in the front rocked position by the friction between cap members 52 and 53 and shoulders 39 and 41, as the cap members 52 and 53 are respectively spring biased against inside extension pieces of shoulders 39 and 41. After having inserted a printing plate P and document D into position on the printing bed PB, an imprinting function will be accomplished by manual movement of the carriage 38 in the X direction. As the carriage is moved to the position illustrated in FIGURE 6 the leg 57 of the torsion spring will contact the tripping member 58 to rock the head assembly 43 in a counter-clockwise direction about shaft 44 to the extent that arms 47 and 48 have come into contact with the rear of carriage 38, thereby placing the lower periphery of platen roller 49 into an adjacent position relative to the plane of the printing bed P'B adapting the roller for imprinting upon document D from printing plate P prior to traversing the printing bed area for performing such an imprinting function. Attention is directed to the fact that the force transference to torsion spring 56 by the tripping of leg 57 is sufiicient to override friction created by the lightweight spring biased forces urging cap members 52 and 53 against the inside extension pieces of shoulders 39 and 41.

Upon having traversed the entire length of base 21 in the X direction (imprinting direction), the carriage 38 is then returned in the Y direction to its initial starting position, however, prior to being impelled across the document D, leg 57 will contact tripping member 59 to rock the head assembly clockwise about shaft 44, as shown in FIGURE 5, displacing the lower periphery of platen roller P from the printing bed PB, until another imprinting function is actuated.

Although other types of springs, such as the coil or leaf type may be employed at one side of the head assembly for rocking the same about shaft 44, it has been found that the most satisfactory results attained were those wherein a torsion spring was utilized and especially when the torsion spring is extended over the length of the head assembly to be rocked.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that numerous modifications or alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. It is desired, therefore, that only such limitations be placed on the invention as are imposed by the prior art and as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use port-able printing plates, a machine comprising a base at least a portion thereof form-ing a plane which defines a printing bed, said printing bed adapted to support a printing means and a document to enable an impression to be transferred, means for providing at least a pair of paths parallel to the plane of the printing bed, carriage means adapted to be moved by way of said paths, a head assembly rockably mounted in said carriage to overlie the printing bed, said head assembly comprising a platen roller rotatably mounted thereon, a single spring means adapted to rock the head assembly in opposite directions and simultaneously with each direction to position said platen roller at a different distance from the printing bed, and actuating means for tripping said single spring means to initiate the rocking of the head assembly in at least one direction.

2. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portable printing plates, the combination recited in claim I wherein said single spring means comprises a torsion spring.

3. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portable printing plates, the combination recited in claim 1 including common means for retaining said head assembly in each of its rocked positions.

4. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portable printing plates, the combination recited in claim 3 wherein said retaining means comprises a spring biased member.

5. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portable printing plates, the combination recited in claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprise a pair of spaced stationary bodies secured to the machine along the path traversed by the single spring during the carriage movement.

6. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portable printing plates, a machine comprising a base at least a portion thereof, forming a plane which defines a printing bed, means for positioning on the printing bed printing means to enable an impression to be transferred therefrom, means for positioning on said printing bed a document to be imprinted, means for providing at least a pair of paths parallel to the plane of the printing bed, carriage means adapted to be moved by way of said paths, bracket means rotatably mounted in said carriage, a shaft rotatably supported by said bracket means, a platen roller rotatably supported by said shaft to overlie the printing bed, a single spring means fixed to said bracket and adapted to rock the head assembly in opposite directions and simultaneous with each direction to position said platen roller at a different level from the printing bed, actuating means located in a path traversed by said carriage adapted to contact said single spring means and to initiate the rocking of the head assembly in at least one direction, and-spring biased means at each end of said shaft adapted to be urged against the respective sides of said carriage for frictionally retaining the platen roller in each of its rocked positions.

7. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portable spring plates, the combination recited in claim 6 wherein said single spring means comprises a torsion spring extending the length of the shaft and fixed to one end of said bracket and freely extending through the other end of said bracket and then extended downwardly adapted for contact with said actuating means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,104,863 1/1938 Hueber 10156X 2,382,249 8/1945 Megar 24-265.2 3,045,589 7/1962 Hill et al. 10l-269X 3,195,140 7/1965 Schuh et al. 101269X DAVID KLEIN, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN THE ART OF PRINTING MACHINES OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO USE PORTABLE PRINTING PLATES, A MACHINE COMPRISING A BASE AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF FORMING A PLANE WHICH DEFINES A PRINTING BED, SAID PRINTING BED ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A PRINTING MEANS AND A DOCUMENT TO ENABLE AN IMPRESSION TO BE TRANSFERRED, MEANS FOR PROVIDING AT LEAST A PAIR OF PATHS PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF THE PRINTING BED, CARRIAGE MEANS ADAP TO BE MOVED BY WAY OF SAID PATHS, A HEAD ASSEMBLY ROCKABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CARRIAGE TO OVERLIE THE PRINTING BED, SAID HEAD ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PLATEN ROLLER ROTATABLY MOUNTED THEREON, A SINGLE SPRING MEANS ADAPTED TO ROCK THE HEAD ASSEMBLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH EACH DIRECTION TO POSITION SAID PLATEN 